Help origin of word - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

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English

Pronunciation

enPR: hĕlp, IPA^(key): /hɛlp/
(Southern American English, AAVE, dated) enPR: hĕp, IPA^(key): /hɛp/^[1]
Rhymes: -ɛlp
Audio — ‘to help’ (UK) (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle English help, from Old English help (“help, aid, assistance, relief”), from Proto-Germanic *helpō (“help”), *hilpiz, *hulpiz, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelb-, *ḱelp- (“to help”).

Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hälpe (“help”), West Frisian help (“help”), Dutch hulp (“help”), Low German Hülp (“help”), German Hilfe (“help, aid, assistance”), Danish hjælp (“help”), Swedish hjälp (“help”), Norwegian hjelp (“help”).

Noun

help (usually uncountable, plural helps)

(uncountable) Action given to provide assistance; aid.

I need some help with my homework.
Something or someone which provides assistance with a task.

He was a great help to me when I was moving house.
Documentation provided with computer software, etc. and accessed using the computer.

I can’t find anything in the help about rotating an image.
(countable) A study aid.
- c. 2002, “Scripture Study Helps”, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints‎^[1]:
  
  In 1979 the Church published a Latter-day Saint edition of the King James Version of the Bible in English. Included in this edition were numerous helps to make a study of the scriptures more meaningful and rewarding.
I’ve printed out a list of math helps.
(usually uncountable) One or more people employed to help in the maintenance of a house or the operation of a farm or enterprise.

The help is coming round this morning to clean.

Most of the hired help is seasonal, for the harvest.
(uncountable) Correction of deficits, as by psychological counseling or medication or social support or remedial training.

His suicide attempts were a cry for help.

He really needs help in handling customer complaints.

“He’s a real road-rager.” / “Yup, he really needs help, maybe anger management.”

Usage notes

The sense “people employed to help in the maintenance of a house” is usually an uncountable mass noun. A countable form — “a hired help”, “two hired helps” — is attested, but now less common. Helper could be used if no more specific noun is available.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:help.

Synonyms

(action given to provide assistance): aid, assistance

Derived terms

cry for help
help desk
help vampire
helpful
helpless
helpline
helply
helpmate
helpmeet
helpsome
home help
self-help

Translations

action given to provide assistance

Afrikaans: hulp (af)
Albanian: ndihmë (sq)
Arabic: مُسَاعَدَة‎ f (musāʕada), مَعُونَة‎ (ar) f (maʕūna)

Moroccan Arabic: عْوين‎ m (ʿwin)
Aragonese: achuda f, aduya f
Aramaic:

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܗܲܝܲܪܬܵܐ‎ f (hāyārta), ܥܘܼܕܪܵܢܵܐ‎ m (ʿudrana)

Classical Syriac: ܥܘܕܪܢܐ‎ m (ʿuḏrānā)
Armenian: օգնություն (hy) (ōgnutʿyun)
Aromanian: agiutor n
Assamese: সহায় (xohay)
Asturian: ayuda (ast) f, aida f
Avar: кумек (kumek)
Azerbaijani: kömək (az), yardım (az), köməklik
Bashkir: ярҙам (yarðam)
Basque: laguntza (eu)
Belarusian: дапамо́га f (dapamóha)
Bengali: সাহায্য (bn) (śahajjo), মদদ (modod)
Bulgarian: по́мощ (bg) f (pómošt)
Catalan: ajuda (ca) f
Chechen: гӏо (ğo)
Chinese:

Dungan: бонцу (boncu), бон (bon)

Mandarin: 幫／帮 (zh) (bāng), 幫助／帮助 (zh) (bāngzhù)
Chukchi: вэнратгыргын (vėnratgyrgyn)
Cornish: gweres m, skoodhyans m
Czech: pomoc (cs) f
Danish: hjælp (da) c
Dutch: hulp (nl)
Esperanto: helpo (eo)
Estonian: abi (et)
Extremaduran: ayua f
Faroese: hjálp f
Finnish: apu (fi)
French: aide (fr) f, secours (fr) m
Friulian: jutori m
Galician: axuda (gl) f
Gallurese: aggjutu, adiutoriu
Georgian: დახმარება (daxmareba)
German: Hilfe (de) f
Greek: βοήθεια (el) f (voḯtheia)

Ancient: βοήθεια f (boḗtheia), ὠφέλεια f (ōphéleia)
Haitian Creole: èd
Hawaiian: kōkua
Hebrew: עֶזְרָה‎ (he) f (ʿezrá), סיוע‎ m (si’yua)
Hindi: मदद (hi) f (madad), सहायता (hi) f (sahāytā), उपकार (hi) m (upkār)
Hungarian: segítség (hu)
Icelandic: hjálp (is) f, aðstoð (is) f, fulltingi (is) n (archaic)
Ido: helpo (io)
Indonesian: bantuan (id), pertolongan (id)
Ingush: гӏо (ğo)
Interlingua: adjuta, succurso
Irish: cabhair f, cuidiú m, cúnamh m
Italian: aiuto (it) m, ausilio (it) m
Japanese: 助け (ja) (たすけ, tasuke), 手助け (てだすけ, tedasuke), 手伝い (ja) (てつだい, tetsudai), ヘルプ (ja) (herupu)
Kapampangan: saup, sawup
Kazakh: көмек (kk) (kömek), жәрдем (järdem)
Khmer: ជំនួយ (km) (cumnuəy)
Korean: 도움 (ko) (doum)
Kumyk: болушлукъ (boluşluq)
Kurdish:

Central Kurdish: یارمەتی‎ (ckb) (yarmetî)

Northern Kurdish: alîkarî (ku) f, destek (ku) f, yarmetî (ku) f, komekî (ku) f, piştevanî (ku) f, piştgirî (ku) f, misaede (ku) f
Kyrgyz: жардам (ky) (jardam), көмөк (kömök)
Latin: auxilium n, adiumentum n
Latvian: palīdzība f
Lithuanian: pagalba (lt)
Luxembourgish: Hëllef (lb) f
Macedonian: помош (mk) f (pomoš)
Malay: pertolongan, bantuan (ms)
Malayalam: സഹായം (ml) (sahāyaṃ)
Maltese: għajnuna (mt), għajnuna (mt) f
Mongolian: тусламж (mn) (tuslamž)
Mòcheno: hilf f
Nepali: सहयोग (ne) (sahayog), मदत् (madat)
Ngazidja Comorian: nusra class 9/10
Norwegian: hjelp (no)
Old Church Slavonic:

Cyrillic: помощь f (pomoštĭ)
Oriya: ସହାୟତା (sôhayôta)
Oromo: gargaarsa
Ossetian: ӕххуыс (æxx°ys)
Persian: کمک‎ (fa) (komak), یاری‎ (fa) (yâri)
Plautdietsch: Help f
Polish: pomoc (pl) f
Portuguese: ajuda (pt) f, socorro (pt) m, auxílio (pt) m
Romanian: ajutor (ro) n, asistență (ro) f
Russian: по́мощь (ru) f (pómoščʹ)
Sardinian:

Campidanese: aggiudu

Logudorese: ayudu, azudu
Sassarese: aggiuddu
Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic: по̏мо̄ћ f

Roman: pȍmōć f
Sicilian: ajutu (scn)
Slovak: pomoc f
Slovene: pomoč (sl) f
Sorbian:

Lower Sorbian: pomoc f

Upper Sorbian: pomoc f
Southern Altai: болуш (boluš)
Spanish: ayuda (es) f, socorro (es) m, auxilio (es) m
Swahili: msaada (sw)
Swedish: hjälp (sv) c
Tagalog: tulong
Tajik: комак (komak), ёри (yori), ёрдам (yordam)
Tamil: உதவி (ta) (utavi)
Tatar: ярдәм (tt) (yardäm)
Telugu: సహాయము (te) (sahāyamu), సాయము (te) (sāyamu)
Thai: ความช่วยเหลือ (th) (kwaam-chûai-lʉ̌ʉa)
Tocharian B: ekito, upacai
Turkish: yardım (tr)
Turkmen: ýardam, kömek
Ukrainian: допомо́га f (dopomóha), по́міч f (pómič)
Urdu: مدد‎ f (madad)
Uyghur: ياردەم‎ (yardem)
Uzbek: yordam (uz), bermoq (uz), koʻmak (uz)
Vietnamese: giúp (vi) (𠢞), giúp đỡ (vi), trợ giúp (vi) (助𠢞), hỗ trợ (vi)
Volapük: yuf (vo)
Walloon: aidance (wa) f, aidaedje (wa) m, aide (wa) f
Welsh: help (cy) m, cymorth (cy) m, cynhorthwy m, help llaw m
West Frisian: help
Yagnobi: ёрдам (yordam)
Yakut: көмө (kömö)
Yiddish: הילף‎ f (hilf)
Zazaki: phasti, yardım
Zhuang: bangcoh, bang

person or persons who provides assistance with some task

Albanian: ndihmes asistent (sq)
Arabic: مُسَاعِد‎ (ar) m (musāʕid)
Aramaic:

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܗܲܝܸܪܵܢܵܐ‎ m (hāyirana), ܗܲܝܸܪܵܢܬܵܐ‎ f (hāyiranta), ܥܵܕܘܿܪܵܐ‎ m (ʿadora), ܥܵܕܘܿܪܬܵܐ‎ f (ʿadorta)

Classical Syriac: ܥܕܘܪܐ‎ m (ʿāḏōrā), ܥܕܘܪܬܐ‎ f (ʿāḏōrtā), ܡܥܕܪܢܐ‎ m (məʿaddərānā), ܡܥܕܪܢܝܬܐ‎ f (məʿaddərānīṯā)
Armenian: օգնական (hy) (ōgnakan)
Azerbaijani: köməkçi (az), yardımçı
Bashkir: ярҙамсы (yarðamsı)
Basque: laguntzaile
Belarusian: памо́чнік m (pamóčnik), памо́чніца f (pamóčnica), памо́цнік m (pamócnik), памо́цніца f (pamócnica)
Bulgarian: помо́щник (bg) m (pomóštnik), помо́щничка f (pomóštnička)
Czech: pomocník (cs) m, pomocnice (cs) f
Esperanto: helpanto, helpisto
Estonian: abiline (et)
Finnish: apuri (fi), apu (fi)
French: auxiliaire (fr) m or f, aide (fr)
Georgian: დამხმარე (damxmare)
German: Hilfe (de)
Greek: βοηθός (el) m or f (voïthós)

Ancient: βοηθός m (boēthós)
Icelandic: hjálp (is) f, hjálparhella f
Indonesian: pembantu (id), penolong (id)
Latvian: palīgs m, palīdze f
Macedonian: помошник m (pomošnik), помошничка f (pomošnička)
Malayalam: സഹായി (ml) (sahāyi)
Norwegian: hjelp (no) m or f
Polish: pomocnik (pl) m, pomocnica (pl) f
Portuguese: ajudante (pt) m, servente (pt) m
Romanian: ajutor (ro) m, ajutoare (ro) f
Russian: помо́щник (ru) m (pomóščnik), помо́щница (ru) f (pomóščnica)
Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic: помо̀ћнӣк m, помо̀ћница f

Roman: pomòćnīk m, pomòćnica f
Slovak: pomocník m, pomocníčka f
Slovene: pomagáč m, pomagáčka f, pomočnik m, pomočnica f
Swahili: msaada (sw)
Turkish: yardımcı (tr)
Ukrainian: помічни́к m (pomičnýk), помічни́ця f (pomičnýcja)
Walloon: aidant (wa) m
Welsh: helpwr m, cynorthwyydd m

person employed to help in the maintenance of a house

Albanian: shërbëtor (sq), shërbëtore (sq)
Esperanto: servisto
Estonian: koduabiline (et)
French: aide (fr) m or f
Greek: οικιακή βοηθός f (oikiakí voïthós)
Hungarian: bejárónő (hu)
Icelandic: heimilishjálp f
Indonesian: pembantu (id)
Kurdish:

Central Kurdish: خزمەتکار‎ (xizmetkár)
Macedonian: помошник m (pomošnik), помошничка f (pomošnička)
Norwegian: hushjelp m or f
Polish: pomoc domowa (pl) f
Portuguese: criado (pt) m, criada (pt) f
Russian: помо́щник (ru) m (pomóščnik), помо́щница (ru) f (pomóščnica), прислу́га (ru) (prislúga)
Slovene: gospodinjska pomočnica f

textual support of a software application

Albanian: ndihmë (sq)
Bulgarian: помощ (bg) f (pomošt)
Czech: nápověda f
Esperanto: helpilo, helpo (eo)
Estonian: abi (et)
French: aide (fr) f
German: Hilfe (de) f
Greek: βοήθεια (el) f (voḯtheia)
Hebrew: עזרה‎ (he) f (ezrá)
Indonesian: pertolongan (id)
Macedonian: помош (mk) f (pomoš)
Malayalam: സഹായം (ml) (sahāyaṃ)
Portuguese: arquivo de ajuda m
Serbo-Croatian:

Roman: pȍmōć f
Slovene: pomoč (sl) f
Swahili: msaada (sw)
Turkish: yardım (tr)
Walloon: aidance (wa) f

Etymology 2

From Middle English helpen, from Old English helpan (“to help, aid, assist, benefit, relieve, cure”), from Proto-West Germanic *helpan, Proto-Germanic *helpaną (“to help”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelb-, *ḱelp- (“to help”).

Cognate with West Frisian helpe (“to help”), Dutch helpen (“to help”), Low German helpen, hölpen (“to help”), German helfen (“to help”), Danish hjælpe (“to help”), Norwegian hjelpe (“to help”), Lithuanian šelpti (“to help, support”).

Verb

help (third-person singular simple present helps, present participle helping, simple past helped or (archaic) holp, past participle helped or (archaic) holpen)

(transitive) To provide assistance to (someone or something).
- 2013 June 22, “Snakes and ladders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 76:
  
  Risk is everywhere. […] For each one there is a frighteningly precise measurement of just how likely it is to jump from the shadows and get you. “The Norm Chronicles” […] aims to help data-phobes find their way through this blizzard of risks.
He helped his grandfather cook breakfast.
(transitive) To assist (a person) in getting something, especially food or drink at table; used with to.

It is polite to help your guests to food before serving yourself.

Help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge.
(transitive) To contribute in some way to.

The white paint on the walls helps make the room look brighter.

If you want to get a job, it helps to have some prior experience.
(intransitive) To provide assistance.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess‎^[2]:
  
  As soon as Julia returned with a constable, Timothy, who was on the point of exhaustion, prepared to give over to him gratefully. The newcomer turned out to be a powerful youngster, fully trained and eager to help, and he stripped off his tunic at once.
- 2013 June 29, “A punch in the gut”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 72-3:
  
  Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism.
She was struggling with the groceries, so I offered to help.

Please, help!
(transitive) To avoid; to prevent; to refrain from; to restrain (oneself). Usually used in nonassertive contexts with can.

We couldn’t help noticing that you were late.

We couldn’t help but notice that you were late.

She’s trying not to smile, but she can’t help herself.

Can I help it if I’m so beautiful?

Can I help it that I fell in love with you?

Are they going to beat us? Not if I can help it!

She never does more than she can help.
(Hong Kong) To do something on the behalf of someone.^[2]

Can you help me buy some groceries?

Usage notes

Use 4 is often used in the imperative mood as a call for assistance.
In uses 1, 2, 3 and 4, this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. It can also take the bare infinitive with no change in meaning.
In use 5, can’t help is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing) or, with but, the bare infinitive.
For more information, see Appendix:English catenative verbs

Conjugation

Synonyms

(provide assistance to): aid, assist, come to the aid of, help out; See also Thesaurus:help
(contribute in some way to): contribute to
(provide assistance): assist; See also Thesaurus:assist

Derived terms

a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
behelp
can’t help
help oneself
help out
helper
helping
helping hand
helping profession
helping verb
overhelp
unhelp

Translations

transitive: provide assistance to (someone or something)

Afar: cate
Afrikaans: help (af)
Albanian: ndihmë (sq)
Arabic: سَاعَدَ‎ (ar) (sāʕada), عَاوَنَ‎ (ʕāwana), غَاثَ‎ (ḡāṯa)

Egyptian Arabic: سَاعِد‎ (sāʿid)
Aragonese: achudar, aduyar (an)
Aramaic:

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܗܲܝܸܪ‎ f (hāyir), ܥܵܕܹܪ‎ m (ʿader)

Classical Syriac: ܥܕܪ‎ (ʿəḏar)
Armenian: օգնել (hy) (ōgnel)
Aromanian: agiut
Asturian: ayudar, audar, axudar, aidar
Azerbaijani: kömək etmək (az), yardım etmək
Basque: lagundu
Bau Bidayuh: batu’, batu’
Belarusian: памага́ць impf (pamahácʹ), памагчы́ pf (pamahčý); дапамага́ць impf (dapamahácʹ), дапамагчы́ pf (dapamahčý)
Bengali: সাহায্য করা (bn) (śahajjo kora)
Brunei Malay: tulung
Bulgarian: пома́гам (bg) impf (pomágam), помо́гна pf (pomógna)
Burmese: ကူ (my) (ku), ကူညီ (my) (ku-nyi)
Catalan: ajudar (ca), aidar (ca)
Cebuano: tabang
Chinese:

Dungan: бонцу (boncu)

Mandarin: 幫助／帮助 (zh) (bāngzhù), 幫忙／帮忙 (zh) (bāngmáng)
Cornish: gweres, skoodhya
Corsican: aiutà (co)
Crimean Tatar: yardım etmek
Czech: pomáhat (cs) impf, pomoct (cs) or pomoci (cs) pf
Danish: hjælpe (da)
Dutch: helpen (nl)
Esperanto: helpi (eo)
Estonian: aitama
Extremaduran: ayual
Faroese: hjálpa (fo)
Finnish: auttaa (fi), opastaa (fi)
Franco-Provençal: èdiér
French: aider (fr), secourir (fr)
Friulian: judâ, socori
Galician: axudar (gl)
Georgian: დახმარება (daxmareba)
German: helfen (de)

Middle High German: hëlfen
Gothic: 𐌷𐌹𐌻𐍀𐌰𐌽 (hilpan), 𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌹𐌻𐍀𐌰𐌽 (gahilpan)
Greek: βοηθώ (el) (voïthó), συντρέχω (el) (syntrécho)

Ancient: βοηθέω (boēthéō)
Haitian Creole: ede
Hawaiian: kōkua
Hebrew: עזר‎ (he) (‘azár), סייע‎ m (siyéa’)
Higaonon: tabang
Hiligaynon: abáng-ábang
Hindi: मदद करना (madad karnā)
Hungarian: segít (hu)
Icelandic: hjálpa (is)
Ido: helpar (io)
Indonesian: bantu (id)

Sundanese: bantos
Interlingua: adjutar (ia), succurrer
Irish: cuidigh le, cabraigh le, tug cúnamh do
Italian: aiutare (it)
Japanese: 助ける (ja) (たすける, tasukeru), 手伝う (ja) (てつだう, tetsudau)
Javanese: nulung (jv)
Kazakh: болысу (bolysu), ермек ету (ermek etu), жәрдем беру (järdem beru), көмек көрсету (kömek körsetu), көмектесу (kk) (kömektesu)
Khmer: ជួយ (km) (cuə yɔɔ)
Korean: 돕다 (ko) (dopda)
Kumyk: болушмакъ (boluşmaq)
Kurdish:

Central Kurdish: یارمەتی دان‎ (yarmetî dan)
Kyrgyz: жардам көрсөтүү (jardam körsötüü), жардам кылуу (jardam kıluu), жардам берүү (ky) (jardam berüü), көмөк берүү (kömök berüü)
Ladino: ayudar
Lao: ຊ່ອຍ (sǭi), ຊ່ວຽ (suāi)
Latin: adiuvō (la), adiūtō, iuvō, auxiliō, opitulor, suppetior, animō
Latvian: līdzēt, palīdzēt
Lingala: kosálisa
Lithuanian: padėti (lt)
Lombard: iuttà (lmo), vütà
Low German: helpen (nds)
Luxembourgish: hëllefen (lb)
Macedonian: помага (pomaga)
Malay: tolong (ms), bantu (ms)
Mansaka: tabang
Maore Comorian: usaidia
Maori: āwhinatanga
Maranao: tabang, ogop
Nahuatl: palehuia
Navajo: bíká iishyeed
Neapolitan: ajutà
Nepali: मदत गर्नु (madat garnu)
Ngazidja Comorian: usaidia, uɗiriki (udiriki)
Norman: aîdgi (Jersey)
North Frisian: (Mooring) heelpe; (Föhr-Amrum) halep
Norwegian: hjelpe (no)
Occitan: ajudar (oc), aidar (oc)
Old English: helpan
Old Javanese: tuluṅ
Old Portuguese: ajudar
Oromo: gargaaruu
Ossetian: ӕххуыс кӕнын (æxx°ys kænyn)
Papiamentu: yuda
Persian: کمک کردن‎ (fa) (komak kardan), یاری کردن‎ (fa) (yâri kardan)
Polish: pomagać (pl) impf, pomóc (pl) pf
Portuguese: ajudar (pt), socorrer (pt)
Quechua: yanapay, yanapai
Romanian: ajuta (ro), asista (ro)
Romansch: gidar, güder, güdar
Russian: помога́ть (ru) impf (pomogátʹ), помо́чь (ru) pf (pomóčʹ)
Saho: xate
Salar: bañna
Sardinian: agiadai, agiuare, agiudai

Campidanese: aggiudai

Logudorese: aggiudare, azudare
Sassarese: achidà, aggiuddà
Scottish Gaelic: cuidich
Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic: пома́гати impf, по̀моћи pf

Roman: pomágati (sh) impf, pòmoći pf
Shan: ၸွႆႈထႅမ် (shn) (tsāui thěm), ၸွႆႈ (shn) (tsāui)
Sicilian: ajutari (scn)
Sinhalese: උදව් කරනවා (udaw karanawā)
Slovak: pomáhať impf, pomôcť pf
Slovene: pomagati (sl)
Southern Altai: болуш- (boluš-)
Spanish: ayudar (es)
Swahili: kusaidia
Swedish: hjälpa (sv)
Tagalog: tumulong, tulungan
Tajik: ёри кардан (yori kardan), кумак кардан (kumak kardan)
Tamil: உதவு (ta) (utavu)
Tatar: ярдәм итәргә (yardäm itärgä), ярдәм күрсәтергә (yardäm kürsätergä)
Tetum: tulun
Thai: ช่วยเหลือ (th) (chûai-lʉ̌ʉa), ช่วย (th) (chûai)
Tok Pisin: helpim
Turkish: yardım etmek (tr)
Turkmen: kömekleşmek, ýardam etmek
Ukrainian: допомага́ти impf (dopomaháty), допомогти́ pf (dopomohtý), помага́ти impf (pomaháty), помогти́ pf (pomohtý)
Urdu: مدد کرنا‎ (madad karnā)
Uyghur: ياردەملەشمەك‎ (yardemleshmek), ياردەم بەرمەك‎ (yardem bermek)
Uzbek: qarashmoq (uz), yordam bermoq, yordamlashmoq (uz)
Venetian: jutar, giutar (vec), agiutar, aidar, daidar, alturiar
Vietnamese: giúp (vi), giúp đỡ (vi)
Welsh: helpu (cy), cynorthwyo (cy)
West Frisian: helpe
Western Bukidnon Manobo: tavang, uɣup
Yiddish: העלפֿן‎ (helfn)
Yucatec Maya: áant
Zulu: please add this translation if you can

contribute in some way to

Albanian: ndihmë (sq) kontribo
Cornish: gweres, skoodhya
Estonian: panustama
Finnish: auttaa (fi)
French: aider (fr)
German: helfen (de)
Greek: βοηθώ (el) (voïthó)
Hebrew: תרם‎ (he) m (taram)
Indonesian: membantu (id)
Latvian: palīdzēt
Luxembourgish: hëllefen (lb)
Macedonian: помага (pomaga)
Norwegian: bidra til, hjelpe til med
Portuguese: ajudar (pt)
Romanian: ajuta (ro)
Russian: помога́ть (ru) impf (pomogátʹ), помо́чь (ru) pf (pomóčʹ)
Slovene: pomagati (sl)
Spanish: please add this translation if you can
Swahili: msaada (sw)
Welsh: helpu (cy), cynorthwyo (cy)

intransitive: provide assistance

Bulgarian: помагам (bg) (pomagam)
Cornish: gweres, skoodhya
Estonian: abistama (et)
Finnish: auttaa (fi)
French: aider (fr)
Greek: βοηθώ (el) (voïthó)

Ancient: βοηθῶ (boēthô)
Indonesian: membantu (id), menolong (id)
Italian: aiutare (it)
Latvian: palīdzēt
Macedonian: помага (pomaga)
Norwegian: hjelpe til, hjelpe (no)
Portuguese: ajudar (pt), auxiliar (pt)
Romanian: ajuta (ro), asista (ro)
Russian: помога́ть (ru) impf (pomogátʹ), помо́чь (ru) pf (pomóčʹ)
Slovene: pomagati (sl)
Swahili: msaada (sw)
Telugu: సహాయపడు (sahāyapaḍu), సాయం చేయు (sāyaṁ cēyu)
Welsh: helpu (cy), cynorthwyo (cy)

transitive: avoid or prevent

Interjection

help!

A cry of distress or an urgent request for assistance

— Take that, you scoundrel.
— Help! Robin, help!

(Robin Hood (1973))

Translations

cry of distress

Albanian: ndihmë (sq)
Arabic: مُسَاعَدَة‎ f (musāʕada), النَّجْدَة‎ f (an-najda)
Belarusian: рату́йце! (ratújcje!), дапамажы́це! (dapamažýcje!), на дапамо́гу! (na dapamóhu!)
Bengali: বাঁচাও (bn) (bãcaō)
Bulgarian: по́мощ (bg) (pómošt)
Burmese: ကယ်ပါ (kaipa)
Catalan: socors, auxili (ca)
Chinese:

Cantonese: 救命 (gau³ meng⁶)

Mandarin: 救命 (zh) (jiùmìng)

Min Nan: 救人 (zh-min-nan) (kiùlâng)
Cornish: harow
Czech: pomoc (cs)
Danish: hjælp (da)
Dutch: help! (nl), hulp! (nl)
Esperanto: helpon (eo), help! (eo)
Estonian: appi (et)
Faroese: hjálp
Finnish: apua (fi)
French: au secours (fr), à l’aide (fr), à moi (fr), à nous
Georgian: მიშველეთ (mišvelet)
German: Hilfe (de), zu Hilfe
Greek: βοήθεια (el) (voḯtheia)
Hebrew: הַצִּילוּ‎ (hatsílu)
Hungarian: segítség! (hu)
Icelandic: hjálp (is)
Italian: aiuto (it)
Japanese: 助けて (たすけて, tasukete)
Korean: 도와주세요 (dowajuseyo)
Latin: aiutum
Latvian: palīgā
Lithuanian: padėkite (lt)
Macedonian: помош (mk) (pomoš)
Malay: tolong! (ms)
Northern Sami: veahkki!
Norwegian: hjelp (no)
Persian: کمک‎ (fa) (komak)
Polish: pomocy (pl), ratunku (pl)
Portuguese: socorro (pt)
Romanian: săriți (ro), ajutor (ro)
Russian: помоги́те (ru) (pomogíte), на по́мощь! (na pómoščʹ!), спаси́те! (spasíte!), спаса́йте! (spasájte!)
Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic: у помоћ

Roman: u pomoć
Slovak: pomoc
Slovene: na pomoč
Spanish: socorro (es), auxilio (es), ayuda (es) f
Swedish: hjälp (sv)
Tagalog: tulong, saklolo
Thai: ช่วยด้วย
Turkish: imdat (tr)
Ukrainian: ряту́йте! (rjatújte!), допоможі́ть! (dopomožítʹ!), на допомо́гу! (na dopomóhu!)
Welsh: help (cy)

References

^ Hall, Joseph Sargent (March 2, 1942), “3. The Consonants”, in The Phonetics of Great Smoky Mountain Speech (American Speech: Reprints and Monographs; 4), New York: King’s Crown Press, →DOI, →ISBN, § 2, page 88.
^ Tony T.N. Hung (2012), chapter 7, in Ee-Ling Low, Azirah Hashim, editors, English in Southeast Asia: Features, policy and language in use, John Benjamins Publishing Company, page 126: “In HKE, the implication is usually to do something on behalf of someone, and not just to assist someone in doing it. For example, when someone asks you “Can you help me wash the dishes?”, the expectation is that you will do it for (rather than with) that person.”

Anagrams

Pehl

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch helpen, from Middle Dutch helpen, from Old Dutch helpan, from Proto-West Germanic *helpan, from Proto-Germanic *helpaną.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈɦɛlp/

Verb

help (present help, present participle helpende, past participle gehelp)

to help

Dutch

Pronunciation

Rhymes: -ɛlp

Verb

help

first-person singular present indicative of helpen
imperative of helpen

Esperanto

Etymology

From the bare root of helpi, following the model of English help! considered as internationally understood.

Interjection

help

Help! (as a cry of distress)

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *helpu, from Proto-Germanic *helpō.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /xelp/, [heɫp]

Noun

help f

help

Declension

Declension of help (strong ō-stem)

Descendants

Middle English: help
- English: help
- Scots: help

References

Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898), “help”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Old Norse

Verb

help

first-person singular present indicative active of hjalpa

Welsh

Etymology

Borrowed from English help.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /hɛlp/

Noun

help m (uncountable, not mutable)

help, aid

Synonyms: cymorth, cynhorthwy

Derived terms

help llaw (“a helping hand”)
helpu (“to help”)

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian helpe, from Proto-Germanic *helpō.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /hɛlp/

Noun

help c (plural helpen, diminutive helpke)

help, assistance, aid

Synonyms: assistinsje, bystân

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English helpen, from Old English helpan, from Proto-West Germanic *helpan.

Verb

help

to help
- 1867, “CASTEALE CUDDE’S LAMENTATION”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 6:
  
  He zide hea’de help mee udh o’ hoan
  
  He said he’d help me out of hand

References

Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 104

Источник

Middle English word help comes from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelp-, and later Proto-Germanic *helpaną (To help.)

Detailed word origin of help

Dictionary entry	Language	Definition
*ḱelp-	Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro)	to help
*helpaną	Proto-Germanic (gem-pro)	To help.
*helpō	Proto-Germanic (gem-pro)	Help, aid, assistance.
help	Old English (ang)	Help.
help	Middle English (enm)

Words with the same origin as help

Источник

Top Definitions
Synonyms
Quiz
Related Content
Examples
British
Idioms And Phrases

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.

verb (used with object)

to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need; contribute strength or means to; render assistance to; cooperate effectively with; aid; assist: He planned to help me with my work. Let me help you with those packages.

to save; rescue; succor: Help me, I’m falling!

to make easier or less difficult; contribute to; facilitate: The exercise of restraint is certain to help the achievement of peace.

to be useful or profitable to: Her quick mind helped her career.

to refrain from; avoid (usually preceded by can or cannot): He can’t help doing it.

to relieve or break the uniformity of: Small patches of bright color can help an otherwise dull interior.

to relieve (someone) in need, sickness, pain, or distress.

to remedy, stop, or prevent: Nothing will help my headache.

to serve food to at table (usually followed by to): Help her to salad.

to serve or wait on (a customer), as in a store.

verb (used without object)

to give aid; be of service or advantage: Every little bit helps.

noun

the act of helping; aid or assistance; relief or succor.

a person or thing that helps: She certainly is a help in an emergency.

a domestic servant or a farm laborer.

means of remedying, stopping, or preventing: The thing is done, and there is no help for it now.

interjection

(used as an exclamation to call for assistance or to attract attention.)

Verb Phrases

help out, to assist in an effort; be of aid to: Her relatives helped out when she became ill.

QUIZ

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Idioms about help

cannot / can’t help but, to be unable to refrain from or avoid; be obliged to: Still, you can’t help but admire her.

help oneself to,

to serve oneself; take a portion of: Help yourself to the cake.
to take or use without asking permission; appropriate: They helped themselves to the farmer’s apples. Help yourself to any of the books we’re giving away.

so help me, (used as a mild form of the oath “so help me God”) I am speaking the truth; on my honor: That’s exactly what happened, so help me.

Origin of help

First recorded before 900; Middle English helpen, Old English helpan; cognate with German helfen

synonym study for help

1. Help, aid, assist, succor agree in the idea of furnishing another with something needed, especially when the need comes at a particular time. Help implies furnishing anything that furthers one’s efforts or relieves one’s wants or necessities. Aid and assist, somewhat more formal, imply especially a furthering or seconding of another’s efforts. Aid implies a more active helping; assist implies less need and less help. To succor, still more formal and literary, is to give timely help and relief in difficulty or distress: Succor him in his hour of need.

usage note for help

21. Cannot/can’t help but has been condemned by some as the ungrammatical version of cannot/can’t help followed by the present participle: You can’t help but admire her. You can’t help admiring her. However, the idiom Cannot/can’t help but is so common in all types of speech and writing that it must be characterized as standard.

OTHER WORDS FROM help

help·a·ble, adjectiveun·der·help, nounun·help·a·ble, adjectiveun·helped, adjective

well-helped, adjective

Words nearby help

Héloïse, helophyte, Helot, helotism, helotry, help, helper, helper T cell, helpful, helping, helping hand

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to help

advice, aid, benefit, comfort, cooperation, guidance, hand, service, support, use, worker, back, bolster, boost, cooperate, encourage, further, maintain, promote, push

How to use help in a sentence

In that situation, had there been a number to call to get the help of social workers, the result might have been different, according to Schwartz.
Don’t try to fix a ballot with tape or correction fluid if you mess up, and don’t be embarrassed to ask for help.
Eighty-five percent of restaurants will probably close if we don’t get some help from the government.
Extra step — check whether your structured data actually works with the help of Google’s Rich Result Test.

The legislation offered limited help to tenants of the Galleria.
That strategy has been used in some cases to help determine GMO policy.
In the end, the clarity that comes from moments of horror can help us recommit to deeper principles.
Sadly, it appears the American press often doesn’t need any outside help when it comes to censoring themselves.
A Wall Street person should not be allowed to help oversee the Dodd-Frank reforms.
Finding the common bonds that help us realize that we have far more in common than that which separates us.
And to tell the truth, she couldn’t help wishing he could see, so he could make the game livelier.
Then with your victorious legions you can march south and help drive the Yankee invaders from the land.
In fact, except for Ramona’s help, it would have been a question whether even Alessandro could have made Baba work in harness.
Terror drives you on; fate coerces you; you can’t help yourself, and my delight is to make the plunge terrible.
There is always in the background of my mind dread lest help should reach the enemy before we have done with Sedd-el-Bahr.

British Dictionary definitions for help

verb

to assist or aid (someone to do something), esp by sharing the work, cost, or burden of somethinghe helped his friend to escape; she helped him climb out of the boat

to alleviate the burden of (someone else) by giving assistance

(tr) to assist (a person) to go in a specified directionhelp the old lady up from the chair

to promote or contribute toto help the relief operations

to cause improvement in (a situation, person, etc)crying won’t help

(tr; preceded by can, could, etc; usually used with a negative)

to avoid or refrain fromwe can’t help wondering who he is
(usually foll by it) to prevent or be responsible forI can’t help it if it rains

to alleviate (an illness, etc)

(tr) to serve (a customer)can I help you, madam?

(tr foll by to)

to serve (someone with food, etc) (usually in the phrase help oneself)may I help you to some more vegetables?; help yourself to peas
to provide (oneself with) without permissionhe’s been helping himself to money out of the petty cash

cannot help but to be unable to do anything else exceptI cannot help but laugh

help a person off with to assist a person in the removal of (clothes)

help a person on with to assist a person in the putting on of (clothes)

so help me

on my honour
no matter whatso help me, I’ll get revenge

noun

the act of helping, or being helped, or a person or thing that helpsshe’s a great help

a helping

a person hired for a job; employee, esp a farm worker or domestic servant
(functioning as singular) several employees collectively

a means of remedythere’s no help for it

interjection

used to ask for assistance

Derived forms of help

helpable, adjectivehelper, noun

Word Origin for help

Old English helpan; related to Old Norse hjalpa, Gothic hilpan, Old High German helfan

Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with help

In addition to the idioms beginning with help

helping hand
help oneself
help out

also see:

can’t help but
every little bit helps
not if one can help it
so help me

Источник

Subjects>Arts & Humanities>English Language Arts

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∙ 14y ago

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The word help originates from Old English helpan (verb),help (noun), of Germanic origin, related to Dutch helpen and German helfen.

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Arts, entertainment, and media[edit]

Films[edit]

Help (2010 film), a Bollywood horror film
Help (2021 theatrical film), a British psychological thriller film
Help! (film), a 1965 film directed by Richard Lester starring The Beatles
Help (2021 television film), a TV film about the COVID-19 pandemic
The Help (film), a 2011 period drama, set in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1963

Television[edit]

Help (Australian TV series), a documentary series
Help (Dutch TV series), a drama series
Help (British TV series), a comedy series
H.E.L.P., a 1990 American TV drama series
The Help (TV series), a 2004 American sitcom
Dr. Henry’s Emergency Lessons for People, also known as H.E.L.P.!, a 1979 American series of animated public service announcements

Episodes[edit]

«Help» (Buffy episode)
«Help», an episode of The Protector

Literature[edit]

Help! (magazine)
Help!! (manga)
The Help, a historical novel by Kathryn Stockett

Music[edit]

Help (band), an American rock band

Albums[edit]

The Help Album, a musical compilation album to benefit the War Child charity
Help (Thee Oh Sees album)
Help!, the 1965 Beatles album which includes songs from the film of the same name
Help! (Brandon Lake album)
Help! (George Martin album)
Help, by Blackbear

Songs[edit]

«Help» (Papa Roach song), 2017
«Help», a song from Hurts’ 2013 album Exile
«Help», a song from Lil Wayne’s 2020 album Funeral (deluxe edition)
«Help», a song from Lloyd Banks’ 2006 album Rotten Apple
«Help», a song from London Grammar’s 2013 album If You Wait
«Help», a song from Pink Guy’s 2017 album Pink Season
«Help!» (song), a 1965 song by The Beatles
«Help!», a song from Brandon Lake’s 2022 album of the same name

Computing and technology[edit]

Help (command), a command in various command-line shells that invokes documentations and helping information
Help desk, a point of contact between product users and technical support
Online help, documentation that accompanies computer application software
- Context-sensitive help, a kind of online help that is obtained from a specific point in the state of the software, providing help for the situation that is associated with that state

Other uses[edit]

Help (dog) (1878–1891), Scotch collie dog used to collect charitable donations
Help Remedies, a pharmaceutical company
The help, a pejorative term for domestic workers

Acronyms[edit]

Heat escape lessening position, a way to position oneself to reduce heat loss in cold water
Higher Education Loan Programme, an Australian government loan scheme for students
Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance, a model developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Usage notes

Quotations

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Verb

Usage notes

Conjugation

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Interjection

Translations

References

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Etymology

Pronunciation

Verb

Dutch

Pronunciation

Verb

Esperanto

Etymology

Interjection

Old English

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Descendants

References

Old Norse

Verb

Welsh

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

West Frisian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Further reading

Yola

Etymology

Verb

References

Detailed word origin of help

Words with the same origin as help

Idioms about help

Origin of help

synonym study for help

usage note for help

OTHER WORDS FROM help

Words nearby help

Words related to help

How to use help in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for help

Derived forms of help

Word Origin for help

Other Idioms and Phrases with help

Add your answer:

What is the word origin for the word incredulous?

How does knowing the origin of the word magnet help you understand its meaning?

What is the origin of the word ballot?

Origin of the word kitchen?

What is the origin of the word nincompoop?

Arts, entertainment, and media[edit]

Films[edit]

Television[edit]

Episodes[edit]

Literature[edit]

Music[edit]

Albums[edit]